2019 CANDIDATES FOR VICE PRESIDENT

Charlie Bruce

Charlie (they/them) uses 'chaotic camp counselor energy' in progressive political campaigns. They are a strong believer in the necessity of unions, especially as a vehicle to promote racial and economic justice in the campaign world. They've been a community organizer for the last three years, and a political operative for three campaign cycles. This past spring, they helped organize a field staff union with a set of demands. When the demands weren't met, they walked out and joined another campaign with similar hopes to unionize. As an undergraduate SGA president, they did a lot of the work necessary to the CWG VP role, like coordinating committee meetings and maximizing social media messaging to increase outreach. As VP of the CWG, they hope to build Guild membership through aggressive recruitment and hip memes.

Jacob Derzon

Jacob Derzon is a field and finance staffer who has worked on campaigns all over the country over the past 5 years. He started as an intern in a field office with McAuliffe for Governor in Virginia in 2013, eventually taking a semester off school to finish out the campaign as a deputy finance director. From there he worked as a congressional intern, field organizer, regional field director, finance director, and campaign manager on local, congressional, statewide, and presidential campaigns in 8 different states. As training directors often say, volunteers come for the candidates, but stay because of the staff, and the same applies for Jacob - his favorite part of campaigns is being able to work for with the most incredible and selfless people he’s ever met. Jacob also believe that these staffers have not been as cherished as they should, and it has cost the progressive cause as people become burned out and leave politics. This is why Jacob joined the CWG - better treatment is not just a moral issue for him, but also essential to ensuring candidates has skilled and passionate staff in the long term.

Outside of campaigns, Jacob enjoys trying to learn electric bass, getting caught up on all the TV shows and movies he missed while working on campaigns, and promoting the city of Cleveland to anyone within earshot.

Jake McClelland

I’m Jake, from Ohio originally but now I work in Maryland. I’ve been serving as an elected member of the Executive Council since October of 2018, shortly after working in Ohio to form the first union for coordinated campaign workers. Through my work in Ohio as an organizer and lead negotiator with our union, and subsequently as an EC member, I’ve gotten a front-to-back understanding of how the CWG process works. As an EC member, I have fought alongside workers demanding better wages, better job security, and better protections at work. I understand what makes CWG the best union for campaign workers, and I understand where we fall short. I am thoughtful, respectful, and steadfastly pro-worker; as VP I will work to continue and augment the good work we already do, making sure that all campaign workers have a union, and that their hard work never goes unrecognized. I hope you vote for me, and I’m excited to help lead our union as we continue to change the face of this industry.

D. Rajah Sandor

As a campaign staff, and primarily a field staffer, Rajah was the type of person that is often hired to be a field organizer. He never acknowledged his success and believed the next mistake, big or small, would get him fired. So Rajah was always working, he'd answer a callback at 12:30 AM, forgo self-care to get that next VR form in August, and re-shift people beyond what was appropriate even on Election Day. But as he has continued to do this work and risen through the ranks, Rajah has seen just how detrimental combining that personality type with the intensity of campaigns can be. And as someone with hiring authority, he has been cognizant of hiring good people, not just people who will work 100 hours a week, out of fear, and treating them fairly.

Rajah joined CWG and eventually ran for the EC to become an advocate for the people who will not voluntarily advocate for themselves. And then seeing the full breadth of having CWG advocate for/with him, when he was discriminated against, solidified that this was an organization Rajah wanted to be a part of and support.

Rajah is running for Vice President to continue to give back to our workers; to find a path for sustainability in this work, to focus on developing job trainings to help folks move up or just be in a better position to advocate for themselves, and.to feel more connected to this movement and the decisions of the Executive Council.

Emma Violet Todd

Emma Violet Todd is a field organizer, community organizer, and advocate for the trans community. Her background includes seven years of professional field organizing experience for competitive progressive political candidates including Brianna for Colorado, JB for Governor, Kim Foxx for Cook State’s Attorney, Dr. David Gill for Congress, Ann Callis for Congress, and Quinn for Illinois. She previously worked as the Volunteer Coordinator and Deputy Executive Director for Trans Lifeline, a crisis line in the United States and Canada that is staffed by trans people for trans people. Her passions include advocating for workers rights, queer rights, and criminal justice reform.